


Paper Trail

by derangement_of_me



Series: Fire Emblem Shithole [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Fluff and Humor, Letters, Light Petting, Love Letters, M/M, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scaring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-04 17:25:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11559912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derangement_of_me/pseuds/derangement_of_me
Summary: Unlike the first part of the series, this will have more than one chapter. If you read the first part, you'll know that this one will not be a smut (also notified by the tags). This one is supposed to be a cute story between Hayato and Keaton. I hope you enjoy. :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike the first part of the series, this will have more than one chapter. If you read the first part, you'll know that this one will not be a smut (also notified by the tags). This one is supposed to be a cute story between Hayato and Keaton. I hope you enjoy. :)

"...Make sure every single word makes sense to what you're saying. Don't just ramble on." Kamui begins to peek at the first few sentances of Hayato's practice letter. 

_Dear XXX,_

_I just thought writing to you after all this time would lighten you up. Would it be to awkward to ask how you're doing? Even though you're still all the way in Nestra, I'd still catch up with you, even if it means by long distances.—_

The rest of the letter is blocked by Hayato's arm."This is pretty decent, Hayato," Kamui comments. They had only been getting together and writing for a week now. Only because Hayato embarrassingly admits that he can't write a single note to the Wind Tribe.

He puffs his chest out and laughs haughtily. "Naturally." _Personal..._ he quotes Kamui in his head. She gives him a small giggle and a pat on the head.

But, he flinches and and backs away. "H-hey! No need to get touchy..." He stiffens up as he brings his arms down, easing his guard. "So, I... uh... guess this is enough for today?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Kamui waves him goodbye as he makes his way out of her treehous quarters. 

Just as Hayato steps off the ladder, he hears from above, "Hey, if you need help writing to someone, I can gladly invite you back!" It was Kamui poking her head out of the doorway, hanging off the edge. 

Hayato hollars back. "Yeah, I will!" He's off on the way back to his own quarters. Plus, the sky had turned an unusual pink shade, but also signifying that it was almost sundown, letting him know he should get going.

\---

Hayato's quarters was placed near a forest, near a small neighborhood behind the walls of the camps. Though, it isn't necessarily lonely.

There's a loud rustling in a shrub nearby.

Hayato whips his head in the direction of the eerie sound and is stopped in cowardice and fear. "Uwa! W-who's there?!" he squeaks, as if he'll receive an answer. Just as though things couldn't get any more ominous, something black and humanoid rises. A leaf, few onto the bridge of his nose, but he didn't--or rather, he couldn't--pay any mind to it as he could only wait for the strange... THING that was expected to strike.

"AHHH!!!" Hayato scurried to the porch of his quarters and yanked the door open, forgetting that it was a knob with a lock. He banged it shut, securing him from whatever was outside and rummaged through one of his desks for match to light his lantern. Over to his small closet filled with different scrolls and even rare tomes from Nohr, he grabbed a Calamity Gate, only to be stopped by knocking at the door in his face.  
got  
Sweat dripped down from his ironically cold-to-the-touch face. "H-hey! Who are you?! If you don't leave, I'll... uh..." He glances down to the bundle of folded scripts in his right hand. "You'll be inverted in the face by spells!" He thought he sounded really cool because of his immediate threat. But then, whoever was outside started... laughing?

Between gasps, it said "Really, Hayato?! 'Inverted in the face'? Haha..."

"What?!" Hayato couldn't recognize the muffled voice from behind the door. "Who are you?!" he spat, red in the face.

"C'mon, it's me. Keaton! Man, that girly scream actually scared me back outside..." Keaton sighs in the end of his cackling.

"What the-" Hayato swings the door open, surprised at Keaton who fell over cartoonishly. It seems he was leaning on the door, while he was talking, Hayato thought. But now, he was faced down on the floor. "What do you want, Keaton?" He was still embarrassed by his the child inside him that he tried to conceal.

"Oh, I just wanted to show you some of the cool stuff I found in that bush." Hayato slumps in disappointment after all that.

"O... kay, but why me?"

"Because there's nobody out at this hour and you were closest to me."

"Ugh. Fine, show me what you got." He slumps over to the desk behind him and plops down on the chair backwards. Keaton looks really happy at this, evidently from the eager fishing from the sack he brought inside. What he pulls out, though is... marginal to what he expected. Actually, more anti-climactic than that.

"Isn't it cool?" Keaton shows off a rusty and bent spoon as if it were some sort of wand found in a gilded treasure chest. Hayato responds with a wry smile and a fake thumbs up, just to try and be nice. But, Keaton fishes in the sack again and pulls out something much bigger, but not really worth more.

"Wow, Keaton," Hayato says dryly. "It's a... sword." But, it wasn't a sword. It was just a hilt with a majorly damaged blade, only having a tenth of what it actually was before.

"This one was a heck of a lot harder to get because it was lodged in the ground. Nothing that this arms can't handle!" He flexes handsomely, or at least tries to.

There was so much more than Hayato thought. The sack looked like it was only filled up to a fourth of its size, but the sack wasn't that large itself. One musty and rusty and broken and worn out trinket to the next. Although, Keaton was amused during every single second. His tail was wagging, his tone was less laid back and more upbeat. But, his face shone brightly in the kindle of the lantern. Hayato was glad someone was enjoying this show-and-tell. _Do I have time for this?_ he thought. _I think I have another magic herb match with Orochi. Maybe she can wait a few minutes._ \--

"Check this one out. Isn't it adorable?" Keaton's words are disrupting his needed sleep. But, he opens his eyes anyway and are met with one... two, three... What is this? Now he is entirely awake. 

"KEATON!" Hayato is now backed up on his desk almost knocking over some books. "GET IT OUT OF HEEEEERRRREEEEE!" 

"What? It's just a spid--" 

"I HATE THOSE THINGS! GET IT OUT!" He begins to start sobbing loudly. 

"But it's a mother, you know." 

"RRAAAGGHHH!!!!" 

Keaton and his spider are blown out of the quarters by the face of a monstrous oni. Hayato dashes over to his bedroom and hides under the sheets. "OhgodspleasehelpmesavemefromthatthingI'mbeggingyou!" Chanting every prayer he knows, the sobbing, tiredness, and overuse of energy from the praying knocks him out. 


	2. Chapter 2

"H-how did you get this?!" Hayato demanded.

"Haha! This herb was given to me by Scarlet back when we were in Cheve," Orochi bragged. "She thought it was pretty, but couldn't find a place to put it on her weapons. Turns out that herb only grows by Cheve's riverbanks and used as a pretty effective sedative." She stuffed the twisty and spiny plant back into her collection.

"I think I may need that one..." Hayato sighs, but just remembers something that just might beat her. "Oh! But, look at this one." He pulls out a vine of some sort that looks pretty underwhelming. "I picked this from the tunnels of Mokushu. I've heard people say that if you cut it open and concoct its juices with vegetables, you can lose so much weight.

Orochi looks pretty jealous at the sight of the vine. But, she crosses her arms and is ready to retaliate. "Hmph. This may be very beneficial plant, but vines do not qualify as herbs." She grins teasingly.

"What? Why?" Hayato is very distraught at the current turn of events. "It heals. It's used to concoct a multitude of other potions, actually..."

"But, herbs are not wood-stemmed. Looks like you lose this round, Hayato." Orochi throws her hands up in victory and laughs. "Don't be so down, champ. At least you can help me with my diet tricks."

They needed to be zen and concentrated during their match, so they chose to be in a field. It was open, solitude. Perfect conditions for an herb showdown. Though, the sun was dipping down into the horizon, leaving the sky a crisp orange and yellow. Hayato stood from his position and said, "The day is beginning to end, so I think I have to get going." He smiled and walked off.

"Hey, wait!" Orochi had jumped up from her spot and was now grabbing Hayato's wrist. "You seem a little off? Is everything okay?" She let go of his wrist.

But, she only received a shake of the head. "Just thinking over about something from yesterday is all. No need to worry about it." Orochi nodded.

"Actually, take this." She handed him the twisty and spiny herb from her pouch. "Something like this appeared in my horoscope, but that was a few days ago. Plus, I didn't fully understand it, since it was pretty vague." 

"Thanks. I'll use it for something."

"'You may never know whom the snake eyes may call,' is what it said. Oh, if you're going to make the sedative, boil the whole herb in water and flavor it with sugar as if it were tea. Be safe." 

Hayato began to walk off and looked back to wave Orochi goodbye.

\---

"You what?!" Kamui gasped. Hayato chose to hang out with her instead of continue his lessons.

"I told you, I kind of accidentally blasted Keaton and a spider with my Calamity Gate out of my house. Are you happy now?" Kamui had basically beaten the truth out of Hayato like she was manually making grape juice. She bombarded him with concerned questions and even coercing him to write the Wind Tribe embarrassing stories that happened to him during his time in the army. She definitely had a thing for slamming on the brakes, but this time was an exception.

"Not yet," she pressed. "Did he scare you or something?"

"YES! I thought about apologizing to him, but he probably doesn't want to talk to me." Well, it would be logical to not talk to someone after being blown away by an oni spell for scaring them. Keaton should have better things to do instead of what he was doing last night, so it wouldn't entirely be Hayato's fault.

"Maybe this is your time to get those lessons in gear. But, just don't think about it being an opportunity, okay? That would defeat the purpose of apologizing." Hayato was a bit of a wimp when it came to things like this. Although, one might say it borders the lines of shame or pride.

 _Make sure every single word makes sense to what you're saying._ He remembers the last bit of Kamui's lecture from yesterday. If he was going to go through with this, he needed to sound as genuine as possible. To tell Keaton that he didn't attack him out of spite. but rather instinct.

They chatted more for the rest of the day. They talked about the basics of charms and talismans, along with shopping. By dinnertime, they thought it would be okay if they walked over to the mess hall together, which happened to be a buffet night. 

Dinner is over and Hayato can see lots of refreshed allies filing out of the mess hall doors. Out of the noticeable looks of them, he saw Effie looked like she's been reborn, Rinkah stumbling outside wiping some sauce from the prime ribs off of her cheeks lips, and Asugi smuggling away some cookies and other desserts (only visible through--what Hayato assumed to be--half of his spoils falling behind him). He turned to Kamui and waved her goodbye, walking in the direction of his cabin. Kamui followed suit and walked eastward, the direction of her treehouse.

There was silence around him except for the mating calls of cicadas; no rustling in bushes, and no door slamming. In peace, he pulls out a nice slip of stationary and begins to scribble characters, dedicated to Keaton.


End file.
